Our Oak Aged Dunkel is brewed using traditional German ingredients and aged on American Oak. The brew itself is highlighted by Munich malt, Tettnang hops, and German Ale yeast, resulting in a clean, earthy flavor.

After primary fermentation is complete, we transfer the beer to a secondary aging vessel containing oak infusion spirals. These oak spirals contribute subtle,woody sweetness and vanilla notes. The wood complements the malt character and adds a layer of complexity to the delicate, herbal hops.

The result is a pleasing, drinkable autumn beer. The best place to enjoy this beer is during the winter, next to a roaring fire, along with a bratwurst.

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has a light amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige head that died down and left a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.S: There are light aromas of caramel malts in the nose.T: Like the smell, the taste is quite malty and has some flavors of caramel. There are some hints of sweetness in the initial taste and the finish has some notes of oak and hints of bitterness.M: It feels medium-bodied and somewhat smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.O: This beer doesn’t go down quite as easily as other Munich Dunkel Lagers; however the oak adds an interesting dimension to the taste and keeps it from being sweet.

I forgot I purchased this beer a few months ago and found it today hiding in the back of my refrigerator.

Harpoon Oak Aged Dunkel (#34) pours a brilliant dark ruby color with a small, fizzy head on top. The foam dissolves quickly leaving only a few spots of lace on the glass.

The aroma is faint with notes of caramel malt, toffee and oak.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer has a firm carbonated fizz. The flavor is malty with a touch of spice. It begins with bread, caramel and toast. In the middle a some vanilla, oak and a touch of fruit come through. It finishes with a mild spice kick (either pepper or clove). Once gone the caramel malt and bread lingers on the palate.

I didn't get as much oak as I thought I would with this beer. Still, it's very tasty and easy to drink.

dark brown, rusty brown in color with a good bit of cloudiness that seemed to settle itself out after a few minutes. A small but persistent head of off white formed on the top and managed to hang around for a good bit before settling out.

Aroma is deep and dark from the start. Rich dark caramel notes are all over this one. Vanilla, hints of oak, Roasted nuts, some brown sugar, dark frits, figs maybe? Really just complex as I even pull a touch of vanilla through after a few minutes. Really nice, and quite full feel for the style, due in most part to near perfect carbonation. This allows the flavor to roll across the palate and really just cling to every ounce of taste buds you have. Caramel, bready notes, hints of light spice are all leading the charge here as each sip seems to become better and better. Warming brings the roasted nut flavor out again and the deep, resonant hop notes seal the deal and leave a light drying flavor on the palate and a resonant vanilla flavor.

A: This poured a clear chestnut with moderate light tan head.S: It smelled like oak and earthy barley, with bread crust and lager yeast and a bit of vanilla and caramel.T: It tasted like earthy caramel and bread crust, with some oak and lager yeast and roasted barley and a bit of vanilla. It had a dry and mellow semisweet aftertaste.M: It was watery with lots of carbonation. Acceptable body.D: This had a nice scent and decent taste and ok body. So not a bad beer, but really not that great. I was hoping for more oak, and vibrant flavors to blend with the oak. Nice concept and pretty unique, but didn't work out too well.

Poured a clear reddish-brown with a nice tan head that receded quite a bit. Roasty malts and caramel in the nose. Malts and bread in the taste, with subtle wood/oak, and a bit of spiced fruits. Medium body, and overall pretty drinkable, but not overly memorable.

The beer pours a dark brownish-red color with a small tan head. The aroma is a mix of oak, toffee, wood, caramel and a little bit of cocoa. The flavor is heavy on the oak and chocolate as well as some toffee. I also get a little bit of cream in the flavor. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not bad.

A - Pours a semi-clear dark red-brown color with a finger of frothy tan-white head. The head fades really slowly down to a ring leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is full of roasted caramel malts. Just a little bit of oak and earthiness beneath. Overall, a bit subtle.

T - Starts off with rich sweet roasted caramel malts and just a touch of hops in the background for some depth. Through the middle, a bit of oak and spices come out. The finish is a mix of roasted caramel malts and some oak with a touch of bitterness that lingers.

M - Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Feels smooth and really crisp. The finish has a bit of a dry kick which is really nice.

D - Very drinkable. With the exception of the aroma feeling kind of dull, the beer has some nice flavors and feels pretty well balanced.

It poured a beautiful dirty dark copper, with a massive tan head. The smell was metallic and the flavor was sweet and caramel-like with a hint of wood and a strong metallic finish. It had a crisp bubbly feel and a dry finish. Neither flavor nor feel lasted long.

As Oak-aged beers go, Harpoon Oak Aged Dunkel is refreshing and crisp, which seems to defeat the purpose.

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass... it's a deep red color with an off-white head, about two fingers worth. Just like the other "100 Barrel Series" beer I tried, a good looker.

Like the other one, the aroma is pretty weak. I like what I'm picking up, rich dark malts, but it's just not very powerful.

The taste is far better... sweet rich malts, chocolate and toffee flavors. There was a flash of an off-metallic taste but then it was gone. Tasty, I like this one a lot... not really picking up much of the oak aging, but it's a solid dunkel.

Pours a clear mahogany color with plenty or red highlights when held to a light. Medium size light tan head with somewhat better than average retention and some lacing on the glass. Smell is mild sweet malts.

Presentation: 22 oz brown capped bottle. (First bottle of the 100 barrel series that leaves the foiled top and replaces it with a neck label, which works just as well.) Simple front label design with a loose attempt at a limited release image with signature of the brewer. Includes a small paragraph noting the name of the ale and intent. Shows best by date (03/15/11) Notes IBUs (30), OG (15.2), and Alc. by Vol. (5.7%) Served into a snifter.

A - Brown pour with deep amber-brown edges, rich frothy head, good retention, and some splashes of lacing.

S - wood is evident but non-descript; clean, focused malt; hops are supportive but not assertive - herbal/earthy and a little spicy

T - clean and defined malt; wood peeks through with a vanillin note and a bit of woody tannin -not astringent; hints at smoke, but doesn't quite get there; finishes a little abruptly - but, somehow, in a good way

Beer pours a garnet brown. It's an unimpressive pour in my opinion. I expect a little more boldness in the color of a dunkel. This beer looks thin. However, it did pour a nice, thick frothy head.

Smell is earthy and malty with twinges of the oak and some sweetness. Taste is similar. Each sip started off like a typical dunkel but was intersected by the smoky vanilla-ness of the oak barrel aging. The sweetness of the malt and the oak taste work really well with each other. It' an enjoyable tasting beer.

The mouthfeel is a little thin and the carbonation is a touch underwhelming. As for drinkability, it's a nice fall/winter beer, but it's not the best dunkel I've ever had nor is it the best effort from the Harpoon 100 Barrell Series. Overall, good, but not great.

On-tap 2/6/2011 at Doherty's East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep coppery brown color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains lager yeast, dark caramelized malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of lager yeast and a hearty malt character. Then some sweet flavors of caramel, some fruit and some spices come in. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.